Could you be the new Creative Freedom part-time Marketing Assistant?
Things are getting BUSY here at Creative Freedom HQ - and it's busy GOOD! I'm looking for a particular person (or two if we keep growing like this) to handle more of the day-to-day Marketing administrata for myself and our Incubator clients.
If you've got proficiency in setting up email newsletters, creating social media graphics, editing video, and using social media scheduling tools, this could be a perfect fit for you.
2018 Marketing Assistant job description
The position will stay open until we have found our candidate. Please no phone calls or comments on this post. Please follow the application instructions if you wish to apply or have additional questions.
Could you be the new Creative Freedom part-time Marketing Assistant?
Things are getting BUSY here at Creative Freedom HQ - and it's busy GOOD! I'm looking for a particular person (or two if we keep growing like this) to handle more of the day-to-day Marketing administrata for myself and our Incubator clients.
If you've got proficiency in setting up email newsletters, creating social media graphics, and using social media scheduling tools, this could be a perfect fit for you.
Click here to read the Marketing Assistant job description.
The position will stay open until we have found our candidate. Please no phone calls or comments on this post. Please follow the application instructions if you wish to apply or have additional questions.
As part of my ongoing experiment, this week's FB Live question came from LaTara, who asked if the only way to make money was to make high-ticket offers.
The short answer is no, but there's a bigger story here. Pricing is relative. A $2,000 car isn't a high-ticket car, but a $2,000 paperclip better be something amazing. So this episode of Creative Freedom illustrates how your pricing tells a story that shapes your image in the marketplace.
I have low-ticket coaching options and higher-ticket coaching options, but I am not a high-end coach. I'm much more "every man in the real-world" in my story telling and my pricing reflects that.
Got a question you'd like to see me answer? Want to know when my next live event is happening? Be sure to get on my list to stay in the know.
New episodes, new season. Same ol' Lisa.
A new season of Creative Freedom begins this June. Mark your calendar!
Some dreams take a lifetime to come true... especially if you do it all by yourself.
Jim Bishop's dream started when he was 15. For some inexplicable reaason, he found himself drawn to the mountains just above his home in Pueblo, Colorado. One day he found himself staring at a for sale sign on a plot about 2 acres in size.
He had to have it.
He scrimped and saved all summer doing odd jobs and working in his father's ornamental iron shop. He was too young to buy the property himself, so he asked his parents to take his money and buy the land. He spent many summers with his dad on that property. As an adult, he eventually decided to build a stone cottage, using the resources all around him. He cut and milled his own lumber, placed and cemented stones from the property, and as he continued to build, people started asking if he was building a castle.
That gave him the idea to actually build a castle.
No architect's plans... just a vision for one room that grew into two, then more. Then a second level... and turrets... and spires. What started as a stone cottage in his 20's has turned into this glorious castle, which has taken his entire lifetime to build.
What this video fails to tell you is that the ONE man who built this castle, did so by hand over the course of decades. Some people offered to help, but like so many well-meaning people, the help never materialized.
#frustrating
Undaunted, Jim kept plugging away as he was able - on his own - one stone at a time. Jim has touched each stone an average of 6 times as he sized, placed and cemented them during construction. You wouldn't know looking at it that Jim is afraid of heights, would you? The fact that he placed each stone one at a time meant a gradual ascension, which gave him time to get used to the height as he built each layer of stone upon stone.
All these years later, and through the generous donations of recycled and reclaimed materials, there's now a bevy of castle features - including a ballroom, a portcullis and bridge at the entrance, and an ornamental dragon Jim fashioned out of recycled stainless steel and a canister from a hot air balloon.
Bishop Castle is open to the public year round, free of charge (Jim and his wife still live there).
Don't let anyone tell you that you can't build your dreams. You can do it. Even if you have to do it all by yourself, one stone at a time. It may take longer, but if Jim Bishop's work is any indication, you might surprise yourself at just how high you can go - and it will be all the more fantastic when it's complete.
Oh, and yes, the dragon breathes fire, too.
As more creative entrepreneurs take to the interwebz to build an online outpost for their business, the conversation always comes back to technology at some point.
What software do you run your site on? How do you take credit cards or invoice clients? What plug-in did you use to get that countdown timer? How do I build an online fan club/membership site?
These are just a handful of questions that have some form of technology as the answer.
Okay, Chaotics, brace yourselves. We're about to speak geek. I promise, it'll be okay. In fact, if I've done my job right, this will be useful and maybe even a bit FUN for you. These are a handful of my favorite tech tools for Creative Entrepreneurs, recommended by your creative type.
Website platform: WordPress
Hands down, this is the most flexible platform... once you get over a slight learning curve. Actually, it can be as easy or hard as you make it. You can go with a hosted site at WordPress.com, vps web hosting or host your own version from WordPress.org for more bells & whistles. From a single page, "brochure" style site to a robust e-commerce shopping solution, you can pretty much make any kind of website you want starting on the back of WordPress. This is great news for Linears who like a single-point solution to keep things simple. Fusions dig the flexibility of options and the bajillion different plug-ins designed to add more functionality to your site. Chaotics can appreciate the simple word processor-style interface for content. A basic WordPress install is point, click, easy. There's also a vast array of free and premium themes that don't require you to be a web designer. Or you can hire a pro (like my designer, Tracy) and get as customized as you like.
Accepting payments: Paypal
Hands down, it's still the easiest interface for buyers and sellers. Their simple "paypal.me" URL has saved me tons of time creating payment links for clients, and while their dispute resolution is for crap, it's accepted more places than almost any other payment option. You have easy access to your cash via the paypal debit card, and you can even get instant transfers to your linked bank account now (for a small fee). Other tools like Stripe or Square require more backflips, and aren't as easy to integrate for most creatives - although Linears will probably prefer Stripe because of their lower rates for accepting payments. If you've got a higher dollar volume business, Stripe or Square make sense for the other options they provide. But if all you need is a simple shopping cart and checkout system for your website, Paypal is easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
Financial Management, Invoicing, Bookkeeping: QuickBooks Self-Employed
While Paypal does offer invoicing, QuickBooks is a more robust option for all things financial management. Mint, also owned by Intuit, is like the baby version of QuickBooks - and focused more on your personal finances. Chaotics will probably freak out at first, which is why I recommend having someone else set it up for you. Then, once all your accounts are linked, QuickBooks pulls it all together, cranks out reports, and lets you get paid like a boss. It also tracks mileage. Linears probably already know that QuickBooks is the industry standard for financial management, and Fusions are probably trying to cobble together their own makeshift plan using free tools like spreadsheets. They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but I've found that a great bookkeeper is better. You'll be able to buy your own diamonds soon enough, if you keep your finger on the pulse of your cash flow.
Mailing list service provider/Autoresponder: MailChimp or Aweber
These two are not technically the same thing, but most list services include some type of autoresponse feature. There are a LOT of providers out there, and I've used quite a few in my 20+ years on the internet. If you're just starting out, MailChimp is a user-friendly way to get started. Chaotics appreciate the step-by-step hand holding and visual interface, making it drag and drop easy. Linears will appreciate the robust reporting options that come standard - even with the free accounts! Fusions love it all - and the playful nature of the company makes it easy to love the Chimp. One thing that MailChimp DOESN'T offer is single opt-in. For that, I prefer Aweber. With a fairly simple and straightforward interface, Aweber uses plug-ins (for an additional fee) to give you more of the features that you'll find standard on MailChimp. But Aweber also costs less as your list grows, so that's a consideration for someone with a larger mailing list.
Membership /Course Software: Wishlist Member or Teachable
I've been using this tool for years and every update makes it better. With just a few clicks you can set up a private, members-only area on your website, with as many different access levels as you like - including "pay per post" which allows you to charge for access to a single page or post on your site. Every user has their own login and password, which makes it easy to maintain and track, plus, because it's hosted on your own site, there's not a bunch of extra fees like you'll pay on a site like Teachable. The downside? You've got to host and manage your content on your own, which means you'll need a little bit of tech savvy to run it all. The alternative is Teachable. There's no option for students to interact, like they could on your own site, but Teachable accepts payments and tracks student progress without the need for additional plugins like Wishlist. For Chaotics, I recommend Teachable, for Linears, Wishlist. For Fusions, look at the level of personal engagement you need in your program. If you want conversation, Wishlist is your tool, otherwise you'll have to pair Teachable with another tool, like a Facebook group.
Each of these tools is great for someone just starting out and still gives you room to grow. If you've got an established enterprise, you'll probably need to grow into something a bit more robust, which I'll cover in a future post.
A couple of days ago, I was practicing The PEACE System as I try to each morning, and during my meditation, this song just started pouring out of my head.
A lot of people ask me how I write songs. Sadly, I don't really write them, as much as I transcribe what I hear in my head. They come to me in finished samples- sometimes in fragments, but usually the whole dang song just sort of rolls out in one fell swoop - as if I'm listening to a radio station or something. It's how "Something In My Dreams" and "What Love Can Do" both were born, as well as most of my tunes. The hardest part for me is getting the song down fast enough so I don't lose something precious in the transition from my head to the piano/pen.
Imagine hearing a brand new song for the first time and trying to remember every single part, note, and riff. Even Des has to listen to a song a couple of times before he's got it down... and I'm not that good (yet).
So I sing it over and over and over until I have the melody on lock, and then record the vocal. Then I try to get to a piano and "find" the chords before I've lost them. I can't tell you how many songs I've lost over the years because it didn't get down on paper the way I heard it in my head.
*sigh*
But as these lyrics came out, it was clear it wasn't just a song for me to "not lose" - but rather a message that might help you right now - in lyric form - before the song is complete. Chances are good this one will end up as a last-minute addition to the new album (details soon!).
You can't be fixed because you're not broken. (tweet this)
by Lisa Robbin Young (April 22, 2015)
I can't fix you. Nobody can.
You can be mad at the world, and beat on your chest all that you can.
But I can't fix you in the state that you're in
'Cause you're not broken...
And you never have been.
You're not broken. I just want you to know.
Yeah, the world may try to beat you down,
But still you grow.
If you just keep on fighting, the world can't win.
'Cause you're not broken.
You gotta let that sink in.
There are times when we feel like we're just not enough -
We can't take anymore - that it's just too tough.
And our world's crumblin' down 'round our ears.
Yeah it's rough, but you're here.
And you're breathing.
So I can't fix you.
I just want you to know.
Don't be mad at the world as it beats you down
'Cause that's how you grow.
Yeah, just keep on fighting, and I know you're gonna win.
'Cause you're not broken - and you never have been.
No. You're NOT Broken.
You've gotta let that sink in.
Back in May, I was joined on stage by The Damn Whippersnappers for my first virtual concert. It was a fun-filled and amazing day. I've posted clips from that show, but none of them really do justice to the fantastic musicians that played with me that day.
Well, as luck would have it, Des, the keyboardist from that show, has graciously offered to join my in the studio today to record a few tracks for the 300 songs project. He can take a song in any genre and effortlessly move it into a new one. So when I got the idea to do ZZ Top as a jazz piece, he was the first guy I called.
Here we are (and you might hear my 8 year old "playing drums" in the background on this rehearsal clip. In truth, this was both a rehearsal and a performance, as we were recording live both on camera and into the studio board. We're considering making it available as a download. Let us know if you're interested in the comments below.
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As a musician, an artist, a creative that's blazing my own trail, there's a lot of resistance. It comes masked as rejection from family, friends, peers, and the industry itself.
But the worst is when it comes from within myself.
I was a freshman in college. I had applied for a prestigious Music Composition program in the midwest and after submitting scores and failing an instrumental audition, I was given a provisional admission to the School of Music, but not the Composition program. I figured it was because I'd never had a music lesson in my life, and that my first semester voice lessons were the gateway to program entry.
I was wrong.
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Blasting back into the studio after a long hiatus, I've put together this swinging soul version of "Straight Up" by Elliot Wolff. It was a hit for Paula Abdul back in 1988 or so. This is a rehearsal video from the 300 songs project563.
I love the empowering nature of the lyrics. Instead of pining for a guy, or waiting for him to make a move, she comes right out ans asks him to play it straight with her. After watching a few episodes of "Drop Dead Diva564" I really wanted to hear Jane Bingum bust out this tune.
I'm no bass player, so I had to rely on the built-in sounds on my fancy-schmancy Yamaha. If you watch closely, you can see me playing the keyboard (barely, but I'm playing, dangit!) When we do it live, the amazing Owen Ananich will be rockin' out the bass. Did you get your tickets to our May show yet? You can do that here565.
Subscribe to Lisa's YouTube Channel567
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